Apparatus for curing tobacco



.L. M. GANDIDUS. Apparatus for Curing Toba000. N o.224,142.

PatentedFeb. 3, .1880

A J z WITNESSES: I

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

- N PETERS. PHOTQ-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITE STATES PATE T OFFIC LOUISM. OANDIDUS, OF BROOKLYN, E. D., NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR CURING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 224,142, dated February 3, 1880.

Application filed October 29,1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS M. CANDIDUS, of Brooklyn, E. D., in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Ourin g. Tobacco, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to cure leaftobacco by means of steam without contact a horizontal section of the apparatus, taken on line z z of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

Referring to the drawings, myimproi'ed apparatus consists of a steam chest or case, A, provided at one end, B, with a rabbeted door, O, having the rabbeted joint a packed with rubber 1). Door O is held in place by bars D D, which have their ends placed in loops or staples c;

The door O is forced into place by wedges d, driven under the staples 0 against said bars, so that a steam-tight joint can be formed between the said door and the case A. At the same time the door 0 can be quickly and easily removed by taking out wedges d and removing the bars D. Y i v Inside of case A is provided a metal tank, E, with an overflow-pipe, 0, extending through the side of the case. On the floor of the tank are laid strips f, and on these strips are placed,

at right angles to the door 0, skids F F.

g is a steam-inlet pipeleading through the wall of case A.

G is the close receptacle for the tobacco. It is composed of a rectangular box, h, of a length that will permit it'to be passed through the doorway of case A. w

Inside of receptacle G, and at each end, are provided perforated partitions i t, dividing otf spaces j j. The receptacle is provided with a close-fitting cover, H, held on by bolts 10,-

passed through the said cover, and nuts I, screwed down on said cover.

tended to be fitted to the receptacle so as tov form a steam-tight joint therewith.

The cover is in"- Cover. H is provided with short pipes m, which open into a drum, I. Said drum is provided with a pipe, K, inposition to be coupled in any suitable manner with a pipe, L, passed 'down through the roof of case A.

The manner of using the apparatus is as follows: The hands of tobacco arelaid in the receptacle G, with their butts against the perforated partitions i 41, until the said receptacle is nearly filled. The topH is then placed over the receptacle and fastened to box h by any suitable devices, so as to form a steam and water tightjoint with said box, which is then placed in case A on skids F and the pipe L joined to pipe K. Door 0 isthen put in place and barred. Steam is then admitted to the interior of case A through pipe g.

The heat from the steam, by sweating the tobacco, drives out the properties of the to bacco which give it the-oifensive odor and bitter taste. These properties pass oft in the form of a vapor. Said vapor is prevented by the overlying hands from rising up through the tobacco; but it is permitted to pass endwise between the layers. The vapor being thrown 0K in this way, it passes through the perforations in partitions tinto spaces j, and, rising up above the mass of tobacco in receptacle G, it passes again through the perforations into the upper part of receptacle G, and

thence it escapes through pipes m, drum I, and pipes K L. The course the vapors take is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1.

. Care must be taken not to pile the hands too high in the receptacle G, as it is necessary to the proper working of the invention that the upper perforations in partitions 41 shall remain open, so that the vapors can pass freely from the spaces j back into the upper part of receptacle G. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.-

The receptacle G, provided with perforated partitions i t, in combination with steam and water tight cover H, pipes m, drum I, pipes K 100 Witnesses W. O. DONN, O. SEDGWIGK. 

